Ten Years Of Transformation

 Recently I celebrated a significant milestone. On July 4th 2004, I walked into a little church on the outskirts of London, and prayed for the first time,

"God if you're real, please show yourself to me." 

 At the time of the prayer I had no realisation whatsoever about how wonderfully and dramatically God would answer that simple, but honest prayer. 10 years later I want to share some of my story, that has helped me arrive at the point where I can say, "God is my everything!"
 When I stepped into the church that morning, I was still recovering from the night before, where I had been taking ecstasy with my mates as we usually did. There was no voice from heaven, or angels visiting me in a dream that prompted me to take such radical side step from taking drugs. I remember the feeling so clearly! It was like in my heart of hearts for the first time I knew I needed to stop running from a God, that wanted so desperately to lavish me with love and mercy. I certainly knew enough about church, the Bible and so forth, but the dramatic change took place in experiencing God. A few months after stepping into a church for the first time since a kid, I stepped into a new country, permanently. Australia was my new home and it became the training ground for my faith journey.
 Perhaps you wonder, how is it that you just 'find God'? Well firstly, God has extended an invitation to all of us, no exceptions, an invitation to know him personally. Have you received that invitation yet? Perhaps you haven't RSVP'd yet, or maybe you have declined the invitation. However, if we are ever to experience the party, we need to say yes to the invitation. I said yes, and I can hand on heart say I have never regretted that decision, ever. On the invitation it says, "no gifts required, no need for fancy dress, just come as yourself."
 Finding God is simple after accepting the invite. Walking with God requires a heart that is open to healthy change and being able to enjoy the journey through the ups and downs. Much like courtship, you begin a relationship with little knowledge but a huge attraction. If you continue to court God in a healthy, honest and committed relationship, you will grow in love to a point where you will not be able to imagine life without him.
 There is a beautiful and simple promise from the Bible that I have found to be so true in my life and many people around me.

 "If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me. I will be found by you,” says the Lord. "

Jeremiah 29:13-15New Living Translation (NLT)

 A common stumbling block to finding God, is the assumption that becoming a Christian means becoming a hollow shell of a person, directed only by rules and a fear of an eternity in hell. Ironically, what I have found since having a relationship with God, is a deep desire that constantly grows in me to change into a better person, not because I have to, but because I want to. When you think about this in the context of a loving relationship, this makes perfect sense. We change and adapt, not out of an obligation to be with someone, but because our love motivates us to change. That is why a relationship with God that comes from a wholehearted motivation has always worked and will always work.
 When I look back on what God has done in me in the last 10 years, I am overwhelmed and completely in awe of the transformation that has taken place in my life for the better.  Everything good in me or that I possess, has stemmed entirely out of God's unconditional and unfailing love. Let me encourage you, whether for the first time, or the hundredth, to open your heart to God and see how far the journey can take you.



More of my story can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MGe-nc8e10o